


The Captain Commander

by DreadfleetNoctis



Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Adeptus Custodes (Warhammer 40.000), Developing Friendships, Gen, Shield host
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadfleetNoctis/pseuds/DreadfleetNoctis
Summary: Captain Commander Artoris Talorn struggles with the  tedious nature of imperial politics until he meets a loud mouthed guardswoman.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	The Captain Commander

Captain Commander Artoris Talorn stood motionless above the parade. He hated these formalities. The campaign was over and if he had his way he would be back aboard the Noctis, on his way to the next crumbling vestige of his father's once-great empire. Apparently "protocol" and "etiquette" required him to remain.  
The planetary governor sat to his left, stuffing his face from a pile of meat, cheeses, fruits and fish. Where it had once been arranged so carefully and delicately, the man's stubby fingers had long since ruined the arrangement. He reached and grabbed without even glancing at the plate, destroying the swirling concentric patterns and forcing them into misshapen combinations of scraps. Sometimes he would clap and rock in his oversized chair like some sort of revolting toddler.  
"Oh look old chum, that tank still has a few dents in it!" he would squeal. "do you think they're from bolt shells?"  
Even from the near 20 storey vantage point offered by the governor's balcony, Artoris could plainly see that the dents were not from a bolt round. Each dent was likely from a different source, with some being centuries old. A testament to the mismanagement of this world and its regiment.  
"Very possibly Governor." Artoris muttered. His lack of interest was completely ignored by the Lord. Or perhaps he truly was oblivious to the Custodes displeasure. It mattered little to Artoris. He just wanted to be off this balcony. 

After what felt like centuries (an impressive feat considering he had lived for centuries) the parade finally ended. Artoris confirmed his schedule for the next week with the adjutant before he bid the governor farewell. He had four more days of banquets, parades and other "pleasantries".  
He shuddered at the thought. Fear had been bred out of his gene wrought stature. Dread, despair and disgust had not been, however. An opulent speeder waited for him at the behest of the governor but he waved it away. He elected to walk instead. His quarters were on the other side of the city in the headquarters of the local Astra Militarum. He claimed to the Lord that this was so that he could better oversee the war effort but it was equally an effort to avoid being awoken by that strange, near-spherical, man every day.

*thunk*

A small rock clanged off of his armour, interrupting his train of thought. 

"thaas…. right yoooo big… Hic… Golden cunt."  
The insult, and the rock, came from a guardsman (no… A Woman) sprawled out on the street.  
"Excuse me?" Artoris said.  
"Yooo heard me, " she slurred from the gutter. "you're a great… Big...golden….CU-" The end of her curse was suddenly interrupted as she vomited violently. Artoris couldn't explain why, but he found the whole situation… amusing. Perhaps it was because his armour was black, not the customary gold.  
"As you say, Ms," he shrugged, stifling a chuckle. "now, if it's all the same to you, I'll give you a lift back to head-quarters."  
"Fuuch off" she muttered and vaguely swatted at him. Artoris, ignoring her half-hearted attempts to shove him away, effortlessly slung the guardsman over his shoulder, being careful to sling her face behind him in case of further vomit. She pounded on his armour plates once or twice before passing out. 

Artoris arrived back at the headquarters, guardsman in tow. A concerned looking sentry eyed him all the way up to the gate.  
"Don't worry she's not dead," he said waving his hand "just passed out drunk."  
"M… My Lord! My sincerest apologies, please allow me to call her CO to see her reprimanded immediately!" he staggered through his words. They all did, the mortals, clearly terrified of his very presence.  
"No thank you, Corporal, that won't be necessary. In fact, if you could show me to her bunk, I would greatly appreciate it," he jostled her slightly and she groaned loudly in response. "she's clearly in no state to walk on her own after all."  
The corporal did as ordered. They passed a few other guardsmen in the halls but most simply saluted and went about their business, not wanting to interfere with one of the Emperor's own, no matter how strange the situation was. After dropping the woman at her bed Artoris turned to the corporal.  
"I want to be clear, corporal, that this woman is not to be punished. We have just finished an arduous campaign and her celebrating is to be expected. Had I not stumbled upon her she would have been the same as every single other member of your regiment out there today. Am I clear?"  
" Yes, my lord! I'll see to it personally that no one knows of her… Indiscretion."  
"Good man," Artoris responded. "Goodnight Corporal." 

Artoris spent another day suffering through the necessary political rituals to ensure this world's compliance to the imperium. As a member of the dread host of the emperor, he believed his one purpose in the imperium was to be the mailed fist of the emperor. The Captain General disagreed.  
After many tedious banquets and "affairs", Artoris was finally released from the Palace.  
To his surprise, the guardsman was waiting for him.  
As he approached she stiffened and saluted abruptly. He was slightly disappointed, he had enjoyed a human showing him their normal, mortal self.  
"My lord, I have come to apologise in person for my behaviour!" she barked while standing stiffly at attention.  
"Relax soldier," Artoris responded. "After our interaction the previous evening you're not fooling anyone here."  
The guardsman visibly relaxed.  
"Besides, 'My Lord' is far too formal," Artoris purred, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I believe 'golden cunt' was the title you addressed me as before."  
She snapped straight back to attention, looking simultaneously terrified and humiliated.  
"My lord I beg your forgiveness!" she cried.  
"Oh come on soldier, loosen up. What's that human phrase? I'm pulling your leg?"  
A small grin appeared on her face.  
"It's a good thing you're not, you'd pull it right off." The retort was barely a mumble, but of course Artoris heard her. He let out a hearty chuckle that startled the woman, but she again relaxed.  
"Guardsman, I have spent a full week thus far surrounded by people who have addressed me as 'my lord' and 'my liege'. I am sick of it. I have two orders for you. First, you are not to refer to me by any of my official titles. My chosen name is Artoris Talorn. You shall address me as one of these names. Second, you shall meet me back at the garrison in approximately one hour. You will show me where the fellow soldiers of the emperor spend their free time."  
She was visibly confused.  
"I'm sorry my l- Talorn. Do you mean… You want to go drinking?"  
He chuckled again.  
"Alas soldier, I cannot become intoxicated like you. However, I will enjoy the company of a fellow soldier. You may not believe me but when amongst my brethren I consider myself far more similar to your rank and file guardsman like yourself than any of these repulsive lords."  
She laughed. It was lyrical.  
"As you command Tallorn." she said, bowing theatrically.  
He laughed again and departed. 

Precisely one hour later Artoris stood in front of the garrison. The guardsman was waiting, wearing civilian clothing. Artoris had no such outfits, but he was dressed in a simple robe with a belt at his waist. The guardsman was in combat trousers, a green shirt and a brown jacket. Even in her civilian clothing she still looked like a soldier. But then, he supposed, so did he in his own way.  
She saluted, but in a half-hearted kind of way, perhaps in a "mocking" fashion. It was not mocking him he realised, but the concept of saluting in the first place..  
They set off in relative silence to the "bar" he was told it was called.  
"I thought they were taverns?" he had asked.  
She had laughed. At him? He wasn't sure.  
"Yeah if we were on ancient terra! Seriously how old are you?"  
"It's been a while since I bothered to count but…. About 12,000 years old give or take."  
She stopped.  
"Did I say something wrong?"  
"You're Twelve thousand years old?!" she all but yelled it at him. Her mouth was agape. "You mean you were alive when the Horus wounded the emperor?"  
Pain gripped Artoris' hearts. He despised thinking of that day, remembering hearing the news that his liege had been wounded. He did his best not to show it.  
"I was yes. I was of a much lower station back then. I helped defend the city from the traitor legions street by street. A number of your kind fought alongside me. The courage and perseverance they showed inspires me to this day."  
She whistled.  
"I can't imagine living that long. So how come you lot fucked off for so long then?"  
"It is… Complicated. To put it simply, without our father to guide us we felt…. Lost. We did not know our place or our purpose. We let that consume us for too long."  
"I'm sorry, if it makes you feel any better, I can kind of sympathise."  
"You have lost many comrades, I imagine." he remarked. The woman looked on the verge of tears. He suddenly wondered if it had sounded too aloof for a mortal.  
"Ah, forgive me, do not think that I do not understand the pain of losing a comrade too. It is rare that one of my brothers falls in battle but when it does happen I am truly saddened by the loss, not only because our creation is as arduous as any work of art, but because of the individual, who I will never see again."  
"No, don't worry. It's not your fault. I didn't even know you lot could die. I'm not sure if it's comforting to know that you're a least human in that sense, or terrifying because it means there's something in the galaxy that can kill you."  
"Well," Artoris grinned. "Nothing has killed me yet."  
She smiled at this. Then she sighed.  
They had arrived at the "bar" as he now knew it was called.  
His entrance had caused quite a stir. Every guardsman in the room had immediately fallen silent. They stared at him, eyes wide, mouths agape. A few of them who were standing at the bar dropped to their knees.  
"Alright you daft cunts we've all seen one of these guys before no need to fucking stare so much!" the woman yelled at them all.  
Talorn laughed, uproariously.  
This clearly broke the ice.  
The chatter in the bar instantly returned to full volume, though it was easy for Talorn to discern that most were now talking about him. A number of people came over to him. Some wanted to shake his hand, others just to stand near him and thank him, or one of his men vicariously, for saving them, a friend, or relative. Most were expressing some form of gratitude or praise.  
After about an hour of chatting and greeting people, the crowd had largely dispersed.  
Then a tall, wiry man, with a heavy, oversized aquila necklace came striding forward. As soon as talron looked at him he fell to his knees and wailed.  
"My liege! Oh glorious embodiment of our Eternal Emperor, I beg of you, lay your hand upon me channel your Divine Creators blessings unto me, that I may live eternally in His service!" the man cried.  
Talorn raised an eyebrow.  
"I beg your pardon, guardsman?" he uttered.  
"You bring His divine blessing to our humble planet, and further still, you have graced to walk in my mere presence! Please, oh lord, grant me His blessing, I will never live with myself and knew I came this close to divinity and did not at least try to receive your blessing!"  
"Blessing? I shall do no such thing." he spat. "Do you know how much your words would pain my father were he alive to hear it?"  
The cognitive dissonance on the man's face was palpable.  
"M- my lord, whatever do you mean?" the man stuttered. "I do nothing but venerate our divine Emperor, and you as his image!"  
"Stop calling him Divine," Artoris said through gritted teeth. "My Father wanted nothing more than to rid the galaxy of such foul superstition, that perverts man from its true purpose. He desired to set you all free from such backwards nonsense." he tried to remain somewhat Jovial on the outside. He was struggling.  
"Surely this is a test, my liege? I beg of you, lay your hands upon me and confer his blessings! You will not cause my faith to waver, I am worthy of his blessings I swear it!" the Fanatic had shuffled closer to him, but kept his head bowed in deference while raising his clasped hands above his head.  
Artoris clenched his fists on the table. He had lost his temper.  
"Listen to me, mortal, and listen well. If I were to provide you with any 'blessing' it would be this single piece of knowledge. Your religion blinds you to the corruption that grips your planet and our Imperium. Your so-called 'eclisarchy' lies through their teeth to you, claiming to know the true word of the Emperor, and in your unquestioning obedience you fail the Emperor in the one task he bid for humanity to complete. To rule the galaxy in the name of humanity. As one great, united species free of the petty squabbles brought on by superstition, free from the fear of damnation, of persecution, free to explore the galaxy and better our great Imperium. Instead you squander your wealth on trinkets to 'protect your soul' and waste your intelligence and time on worship and prayer. I have stood with the emperor. I have discussed his grand vision with him. Like every one of my brothers we stand with him because we believe in his ideals unquestioningly. I respect that you do the same. I am sorry that the lie you were told was so far from the truth. The Emperor is no God. He is a man, the same as you or I."  
At some point during Artoris' tirade the man had shrunk into a foetal position and was whimpering quietly. Artoris could see he was in shock, but did not care. After a few moments he stopped whimpering and managed to crawl to his knees. Through chattering teeth he mumbled, "Heretic."  
Artoris stood up, making sure to stand as tall as possible, shifting his pose slightly to broaden his chest and shoulders to accentuate his truly staggering advantage over the man. He would not be belittled by this pathetic mortal. He would not be lectured on his Father's great work by the worst that the imperium had to offer. He could feel his ire rising. The audacity of this creature to suggest that HE was the perversion of his father's plan. That this Fanatic, blinded by the works of the spineless whelp Lorgar no less, had even uttered such a word in his presence was truly staggering. The temptation to strike him down where he stood was all too tempting.  
But that was not his Father's way.  
"Pick your next actions carefully guardsman. You are speaking with the Captain Commander of the Dreadfleet Noctis. I answer to no one save for the Captain-General and the Emperor Himself."  
The Fanatic looked like he was going to say something before someone grabbed him and dragged him away.  
The Fanatic glared at Artoris while he was dragged away, grinding his teeth and visibly sweating.  
Artoris sat down and sighed heavily.  
"A true shame. I had hoped he would listen to me." He drank deeply from the jug of water they had brought him, to accommodate his size before murmuring, "They rarely do."  
His companion stared at him with bulging eyes.  
"Ah." he said, slowly lowering his jug.  
"Is… Is that true?" she whispered.  
"I'm sorry but, yes." Artoris responded. The woman sighed heavily.  
"So, we will not stand by the emperor's side when we die? He does not watch over us and guard us?"  
"No."  
She sighed again, and looked sad for a moment. Then she grinned.  
"Thank fuck." she said, chuckling. Artoris was surprised, but pleased.  
"So you don't care for the state religion then?" he inquired.  
"Well, don't get me wrong, I obviously like all the stuff about bettering humanity, but I always thought it was a bit weird that the emperor was watching over us. Surely he's got more important things to be doing?"  
Artoris chuckled, knowing just how right she truly was.  
"Something like that." He agreed.  
"Plus," she continued. "didn't that fella, um, Gill-ee-man come back? How the hell do they explain that!"  
Artoris continued to laugh, enjoying the woman's string of realisations. It was then that she looked sad again though, or more angry Artoris supposed.  
"So does that mean that the governor lies to us too? We're told he's in charge because 'the emperor wills it so' is that not true?"  
Artoris hesitated. He was not afraid of speaking the truth, but he was conscious of his power and the weight of his words at a time like this.  
"In a sense. The emperor would have appointed their forefathers in some long bygone era, or at least a Primarch would have. But that does not justify their actions now. There is nothing 'sacred' about allowing your planet to become so overrun by the traitor forces that they require the help of my men." He tried to state this as matter of factly as he could. He believed it was a fair explanation of the situation at hand, bad governance was bad governance after all.  
"Are you here to help us then?" she asked, a small amount of glee in her voice.  
"If only I were. I am here to help stem the tide of traitors, nothing more."  
She looked visibly confused.  
"So, you want to help? Why don't you? Aren't you, like, stupidly important?"  
He chuckled, both at her description and the absurdity of it all.  
"Yes, I am 'stupidly important' I suppose you might say. But, unfortunately the Imperial Regent has restricted our remit in the galaxy, the survival of your 'state religion' is one of these restrictions, as is the maintenance of the general status quo of the imperium. Unfortunately even I am subject to the politics of it all."  
She whistled quietly.  
"So you're telling me," she said, slow and low, "that there's an even bigger golden cunt out there?"  
They paused for a beat.  
Then laughed together.  
They spoke together long into the night trading stories of various conflicts. Artoris told sweeping epics of battles he had commanded as the head of his Dreadfleet. He had not earned the title "the All-Seeing" for nothing. She was enthralled by his tales, hearing history that she had learnt about decades ago from someone who had lived at the time.  
She, on the other hand, told very personal stories. Times by the fire with her comrades after a long battle. Moments of companionship in a trench. An anecdote of chasing a small, hopping rodent-like creature on a far off world that ended abruptly when the thing stepped on a land-mine and she and her companions noticed all too suddenly how deep into this minefield they had accidentally stumbled. She found this story very funny though and laughed through the whole thing.  
Initially, this confused Artoris.  
"You were in danger though, why is this funny to you?"  
"Well, at the time I was obviously terrified but, ya know, none of us died and when that thing landed on the mine, it did this little hopping motion," she imitated the motion, with her arms and hands pulled into little claws at her sides while bouncing slightly in her seat. "And then all of a sudden, boom! It shoots 30 feet up in the air! Well, most of it did at least, some of it hit Dec square in the face!" she proceeded to laugh again.  
Artoris could not see the humour in this situation. He felt concerned for this mortal, a feeling he was not used to. It was especially bizarre as she was not currently in danger, and yet he felt he needed to protect her.  
The feeling became mildly uncomfortable and he decided to change the topic.  
"This, Dec, you mentioned. Is he in your regiment? You spoke of him in a number of your stories." Artoris remarked. He noticed her posture change suddenly. Her expression changed from jovial to melancholy. She still had a smile, but her eyes betrayed a deep-seated sadness.  
"Yeah," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "he was my husband." Artoris was unfamiliar with these types of displays of emotion. Sadness, while not bred out of Custodes, was still foreign to him. The concept of losing a lover, a partner, was completely lost on him. He had grown to care for this woman though, and whilst he was incapable of empathising he was still capable of listening. He rested a massive hand delicately on her shoulder, and she looked up to meet his gaze.  
"Tell me of him," Artoris responded, a warm smile on his face.  
"Oh come off it," she said, chuckling and wiping a tear away. "You don't want to hear my sappy stories."  
Artoris handed her a napkin from the corner of the table.  
"Please, I believe that while there is no afterlife, a man can never truly die as long as his deeds out live him," he encouraged, delicately. "Tell me of your favourite memory of Dec. I wish to know about this man so I may honour his memory too."  
She smiled at him. "Ok, if you insist."  
"We had been deployed to the planet Sendar, a small jump from this system. I sort of never fully understood why we were being sent there. We were told something vaguely about an uprising on the planet, but the things we were fighting weren't human, not any more at least.  
Anyway, we were dug in outside the capital city. The… Things had it quite well secured. We'd been shelling the city for about 3 days and dug a series of trenches outside. Dec and I were assigned to guard duty, we mainly just watched the edge of the city in case those things tried to attack our lines. The trench was cold, and wet. It had rained the night before and I had been stupid enough to leave my uniform too close the edge of the tent and it had got a bit damp so I was shivering something fierce. Dec tried all sorts of things, he tried getting us to do jumping Jacks, but I'm pretty sure he just wanted me to jump up and down. That was pretty funny. Then he tried rubbing my arms really hard and fast. That was… Less fun. Kinda sore actually. After a while he did something I couldn't believe. He hopped out of the trench and ran around no man's land grabbing hunks of wood and old bits of grass. After a few moments Sarge started yelling at him calling him a fucking idiot, telling him to get back in the trench. But he kept running around. Occasionally he'd shout back at Sarge. 'Don't worry Sarge, I'm just getting a couple of hunks!' he shouted back. That made me laugh. Anyway eventually he dropped back into the trench. Sarge was waiting for him and threatened to have him Court Marshalled for disobeying orders. Dec was very apologetic. 'It won't happen again Sarge, promise Sarge, I just need to go for a run Sarge that's all!' He was standing with his back to me though and he was very obviously crossing his fingers behind his back so I could see. It was pretty funny and difficult not to laugh but I managed to pull through.  
Eventually the Sargent decided to leave him be with a stern 'Don't let this happen again' and a finger wag. He sat down next to me again and showed me a bit of wood that looked amazingly like a dick and said 'that was HARD' and we both fell about laughing.  
When we'd managed to get a hold of ourselves he started a small fire with the wood and grass he'd collected. It took him ages because it was sopping wet and he only managed to get it going after he covered some flyers the last of his Amasec that he'd managed to smuggle with him.  
Once the fire was going he pulled me close to him, wrapped his jacket around me and we just… Sat there, together. It was so lovely though, the way he went to all the trouble. He could have been shot, or got in real trouble but he still did it.  
I'm pretty sure I dozed off like that, wrapped under his arm with his jacket over me. When I woke up I was warm, my clothes were dry and the first thing I saw was Dec smiling at me. He kissed me so gently it was like he thought I would shatter." She dabbed the napkin at her eyes again.  
"He died about 3 weeks after that in an ambush. Those things gunned him down along with his whole squad. I'd been assigned to a different convoy." She cried freely now making no effort to cover the pain she felt any more.  
"Sometimes I wish I had been with him. I lie awake at night sometimes thinking about how terrified he must have been. I wonder if I could have helped in some way if I had been there. And sometimes…" she took a deep, shuddering breath. "Sometimes I just wish I had died instead of him, so that I didn't have to live in a world without him."  
With that single line, Artoris understood her pain more clearly than he had thought possible. He had often wondered similar things about The Emperor. Artoris wondered whether his presence in the throne room could have made a difference. Whether he could have fought harder against the traitors and prevented his internment on the throne.  
And, sometimes, he just wished he had died alongside his Emperor.  
Artoris reached both of his massive hands across the table and scooped up hers, cradling them delicately.  
"Thank you for sharing," he said sincerely. "Dec sounds like an incredible man. I'm sure he would be pleased that you live on, sharing stories in his name and trying to make the world a better place for your fellow man, as he tried to make the world a better place for you."  
They locked eyes across the table and Artoris wondered if he had ever felt a connection to another living creature like this one before. His dedication to the Emperor was an all consuming passion, his comraderie with his brethren was a bond forged in war through mutual deeds of valor.  
He could not describe the emotion he felt in that moment, staring into the deep brown eyes of this mortal woman.  
It was the first time though that he felt he truly understood his father's love for humanity and why he had dedicated his life to ensure their survival and dominion over the galaxy. Why he believed in the good in them, and their capacity to be a far greater species than the Astartes or the Custodes or even the Primarchs.  
"I…. Understand." he whispered, still cradling her hands.  
She delicately withdrew her hands and wiped her eyes.  
"Yeah?" she said, drying the back of her hand on her shirt.  
"I…. I Have never understood before. I would discuss my father's great vision with him when I got the opportunity, but I never understood why. He tried to explain to me that you were all fundamentally good. I would provide him with more examples than I could muster, of war, disease, famine all caused by humans for the aeons of their existence for no other reason that to inflict harm on others. I would ask him how it was that he believed that these creatures could be considered good, how it was that beings so willing to cause such staggering harm to their own kind could be considered good. He would always tell me 'Artoris, humanity may be corrupted, it may be led into dark places and commit horrible atrocities. But Humans are still good. Each and every single one of them is driven by the simplest desire to protect their family. This desire is often twisted and corrupted to the ends of cowardly men who fear the unknown. These people twist the desire to protect one's family into something hideous. I will do no such thing. I promise them the galaxy, I promise them truly unfettered freedom from fear for eternity. And when they realise this, when my vision finally comes to fruition, then you will see humanity for what they truly are. A good, and kind people who would do anything for each other.' I always thought this questionable, but I believed him. I never understood him until this very moment. You have helped me understand." he chuckled quietly to himself.  
"I don't think I have ever been helped by one of your kind." he murmered to himself.  
This time it was her turn to reach her slender fingers across the table. She attempted to grip Artoris' hands in the same way as he had gripped hers, but only managed to grip the side of his palm.  
They locked eyes once again.  
That moment felt like it lasted an eternity to Artoris. He couldn't explain why. The air felt heavy around him. The sound from the bar was drowned out and his hearts were racing. There was no threat to his knowledge, and yet he felt ready to pounce, like a coiled spring.  
"you know," the sound of her voice was sudden, snapping Artoris back to reality. "I don't think I ever told you my name."  
Artoris blinked, somewhat stunned. How had he missed that? He supposed he was not used to interacting with humans. They had always been ranks and numbers to him. But this woman was different. He wanted to know her name.  
He chuckled, trying to cover his embarrassment. He couldn't recall the last time he had felt that particular emotion.  
"My most sincere apologies," he began but the woman cut him off.  
"Don't apologise, its not like I asked you for your name when we first met." she responded, chuckling. Artoris was amazed by how different this woman appeared to him now, compared to the woman that had insulted him and thrown up. Not just in her appearance, but something deeper than that.  
"My name is Angela."  
Artoris smiled at her and replied "it is a beautiful name."  
To himself he pondered how fitting it was that the person that finally helped him to understand the emperor's vision would be named after an instrument of divine intervention. If his father did have a hand in the machinations of the universe, it was clear that he still had a sense of humour.  
He felt a desire to do… Something. A feeling was buried deep inside him, struggling to get out, but he could not put words to it. He could not define it, nor quantify it. But he felt the insurmountable need to act. He did what he knew best.  
Artoris suddenly stood up and slammed a large fist to his heart in the style of the pre-unity salute he was raised with. He believed it was a mark of great honour to salute an individual like this and a show of great affection. Amongst his brothers it was used as a more informal salute, as opposed to the sign of the aquila. They used this salute now to show camaraderie, and to acknowledge an act of great kindness or heroism.  
Angela was astounded.  
"My lo-" she began almost slipping back into old habits.  
"Artoris, what are you doing?" The undefinable feeling inside Artoris grew as this woman referred to him in a more informal manner.  
The way his father had referred to him.  
"Truly, Angela, this has been one of the single most enlightening moments of my life. You have helped me in ways that I cannot begin to explain to you. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. A weight that has been so ever present I had forgotten it was even there. But now," he took 3 theatrically large deep breaths to emphasise his point before continuing.  
"I feel… Free."  
She was smiling at him now. Such a warm, glowing smile, with eyes full of compassion.  
The feeling grew.  
Artoris dropped to one knee.  
"Oh come on, what is it now?" she said.  
He truly did not know. He had no idea why he had made such a gesture. To bend a knee to…. Anyone but his liege was almost sacrilege to him. And yet, here he kneeled.  
"Angela I have a request of you. I would like you to become a permanent Attaché to my fleet." the words left his mouth unbeckoned. He felt as if he was not in control.  
Her mouth was agape.  
"Artoris I… I don't known what to say. How would that even work? What would I do? I have no experience in… well anything!" she stumbled through her response, clearly taken aback by the offer.  
"You would not need to do anything. Your remit would be entirely your own. I would ask that you advise me in matters of my crusade and lend a more… human ear to our campaigns. I worry that my men lose heart because they do not understand what we are fighting for or why. A crusade without a purpose is no better than a maraudering band of killers. I would like you to personify that purpose to us. To talk to the men, share your stories with them and help them to understand why it is that we still fight to preserve this great empire for people like you." he responded. Artoris had never made a decision so quickly in his life. But he knew with certainty that it was the right choice. His long discussions with Heracles had shown him that morale was lacking in the fleet. Almost a century of pointless warfare, travelling from system to system to defend yet another corrupted and backwards outpost of the Imperium had drained his men. Often having to fight human rebellions alongside fanatics like the Soroitas had tarnished this most recent crusade and the men would often have large discussions about their true purpose in this crusade.  
Even his willpower was close to breaking.  
But now Artoris felt he had a reason to continue to fight, and more importantly, a personification of that reason.  
Angela was silent for a few moments thumbing the rim of her glass and staring intensely at the now flat, golden liquid swirling in her mug.  
After a few moments she looked up and made eye contact with Artoris again. "I have some questions first. Would I be the only… Um...normal human?" she said the word "normal" with clear unease. Artoris, on the other hand found this distinction amusing.  
"I have nearly 500,000 human staff under my command. Most, admittedly, are menial staff. Members of the engine crews and other such tasks. They all view us as that fanatic did. Walking embodiments of our fathers 'divinity'" Artoris all but spat the word. "we have tried to explain it to them many times, but they do not accept it. You are the first human I have met who did not treat us in such a way, and I believe it will be a breath of fresh air for my Host."  
"Ah OK good, not sure how many more golden cunts I could handle" she responded laughing. "And what about military duties?" she pressed further.  
"whatever you see fit. If you never wish to see combat again then I shall ensure that this happens. Conversely, if you did wish to join in military operations then either myself or one of my trusted companions would see to it that you were safe from harm." Angela pulled a face, clearly considering this option.  
"Additionally," Artoris continued. "I would appreciate your input on campaigns which concern the more fanatical worlds of this imperium. I find their governors tiresome and they often treat myself and my men with contempt, as if we are their tools to be ordered around. I would appreciate a human buffer in many of these interactions, I believe they would converse better with their own kind. Oh and I have to engage in 'plantetary tradition' too according to the Imperial Regant. I would like a person on the inside who could report back which of these traditions are unavoidable and which are…. Less important."  
Angela nodded her head, listening intently. Eventually she rubbed her eyes and said, "so, basically, you want me to spend the rest of my life chatting with hulking demi gods, being pampered by nobility, and telling you which fancy dinners you need to go to and which you don't?"  
Artoris laughed at her assessment.  
"I suppose that is accurate yes. Though I must also point out that you would be unlikely to return to this world and would spend almost all of your time on the move. Generally we do not spend more than a few months on any particular world."  
"Truth be told Artoris, I have nothing keeping me here" she replied. "it would be a bittersweet parting. My parents died when I was very young, my sister joined some trade convoy and I haven't seen her in years. Throne, Dec isn't even buried here."  
She stared off into the distance for a moment, her imagination clearly running wild. "Ihave always wanted to see the galaxy too…" she murnered to herself. Eventually she blinked away the stars in her eyes before facing Artoris with steely determination.  
"I'll do it."  
"Excellent!" Artoris thumped a fist on the table in celebration and summoned the bar keeper to bring them more drink.  
"I shall see to the arrangements immediately. I will send word to the fleet to prepare quarters for you and will have adjutant fill out all the necessary paperwork for your transfers as well as your promotion."  
"ooh a promotion ay? To what?" she asked, her eyes visibly widening.  
"Truth be told this is a slightly unusual situation, I don't believe there are many mortal ranks amongst the Hosts. However, we can hardly have you holding the rank of a normal guardsman can we?" she laughed at the notion.  
"How does 'Advisor - General' strike you?" Artoris asked. "You would exist largely outside of the traditional rank structure so the 'General' is more symbolic but I think it's inclusion in your title will command immediate respect from the people who will be your peers."  
"Look if that doesn't do it I'm sure being flanked by a few of you big fuckers would shut down any stupid conversations in a room." Angela laughed while Artoris rolled his eyes.  
"Angela, you would be truly amazed at how often that does not work. But even still, I hope this does not dissuade you."  
"Not at all, I get to yell at the brass and have the backing of onecof the most powerful men in the galaxy to do so. I can't think of anything better."  
At that moment the barkeep came over with more drinks. He placed a large mug of a strong smelling liquid in front of Artoris too before explaining to him that it was the absolute strongest drink in the house mixed with the second strongest drink in the house. He insisted that he had seen even Ogryn stagger out of the bar after a few drinks like this. Artoris thanked the man before providing him with a substantial amount of gelt for his work.  
He turned back to Angela, picking up his mug and raising it high.  
"To you and your new position, Advisor-General!" he boomed raising his mug. A few of the other patrons raised their mugs and clapped. Angela tried to cover her face, but was obviously grinning.  
"Alright you big idiot, sit down would you?" she murmured, chuckling quietly. 

The two drank long into the night until the bar was almost devoid of patrons. When last call came it was clear than Angela had had her fill and staggered her way out of the bar. After a good few of the strange concoctions the bar keep had brought to Artoris he was surprised to find himself the tiniest bit light headed when he stood up. The feeling was momentary, and probably would not have been noticed by a normal human. But he noticed, and it made him smile.  
He could not remember the last time he had had fun.  
Back in his quarters Artoris made all of the necessary arrangements for Angela's transfer to the Dreadfleet. By the morning she was a fully fledged member.  
He could not find Angela to give her the good news when he left his quarters that morning and found himself mildly dissapointed. But he had duties to attend. He dressed himself in his ceremonial armour and departed for the Governors Palace. 

Standing in the foyer of the Palace was Angela. She had traded in her combat boots and green jacket for a far more formal outfit. A white shirt with a ruffled collar set behind a deep blue jacket with long coat tails and matching trousers which led into chocolate brown calf high leather boots. Pinned to her chest was the unification lightning bolt, set on a black background. The symbol of Dreadfleet Noctis.  
"You took your sweet time getting here," she called out to Artoris as he disembarked his speeder.  
"I didn't realise I had requested your presence here?" he responded.  
"You didn't specifically, but I wouldn't be making a good impression if I showed up late to my first day of work."  
"You received your new orders then?" he responded. Her only reply was gesturing theatrically to the symbol of the Dreadfleet on her chest.  
"Excellent," Artoris responded, before sighing heavily. "Let's go and meet the Governor then." Artoris started to stride forward before Angela held up a finger.  
"Actually, I believe one of my duties was getting you out of shit you don't want to do right?" she raised an eye brow at him, with a wicked grin on her face.  
"I believe my exact instructions were to inform me subtly of any non essential functions."  
"Right right right,sure" she said waving her hands in apology. The she sniffed loudly and said. "well I had some words and this is most definitely a 'non essential function'" then winked at him.  
"Come on you big golden cunt, you've got a galaxy to show me" she said as she began walking to a waiting speeder.  
Artoris smiled to himself. This was going to be fun, he thought.


End file.
